A Tale of Two Archers and a Pirate
by KHLostEmpress
Summary: Rebecca followed Lord Eliwood to find her missing brother, but ended up finding more than she bargained for—whether this nuisance is a good or bad thing remains to be seen.
1. Before

Author's Notes: This work follows the story of Rebecca, Wil, and Dart of Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken through the game. However, there are three important bits I need to shell out:

A. I'm going to ignore the actual game mechanics of the support system and pretend any character can get as many supports as I want.

2. For simplicity's sake, the tactician's name is the generic Mark.

D. I consider Eliwood x Ninian canon.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem._

* * *

_4 years before Lyn's story..._

As of that moment, everything was going exactly according to plan. Dan rummaged through his pack one last time as quietly as he could, checking off things in his mind as he accounted for what was inside. He had his spare clothes, food, and everything else he could need for a trip. He closed up the bag and slung it over his shoulder. With a sigh, he looked around at the room that made up the kitchen and living space of their small house. Since it was in the middle of the night, it was dark and he couldn't see very much, but he was determined to commit the whole thing to memory before he left. Dan had a brief moment of uncertainty and almost set his pack down, figuring he could apologize to Wil tomorrow for backing out, but then his eyes landed on the doorway that led to his little sister's bedroom.

Rebecca was more important to him than anything and he would do _anything_ to make her life better. He would do this for her. Steeling his resolve, he slowly made his way over to the front door, trying not to knock into anything in the dark. He wasn't successful as his foot ran into a chair at one point, causing him to stop and listen carefully. When no sound came to alert him that his parents had woken up, he continued on his way, but once again did not make it very far.

"Brother?"

Dan froze at the quiet, tired voice. He turned slowly, his shoulders drooping as he saw his little sister standing in the open bedroom doorway and rubbing her eyes. She looked absolutely adorable in her nightgown, with her green hair plaited into twin braids over her shoulders. Her ragged stuffed bunny was hanging limply from one hand, trailing along the floor, despite the fact that she'd said multiple times that she was grown up and didn't need the toy any longer.

But she couldn't know he was leaving—he and Wil had decided not to tell anyone else that they were going. Their parents would complain and make a big fuss of how they weren't old enough. It was why they were sneaking out in the middle of the night, making sure that no one was there to stop them. Figuring he might be able to distract her for minute, feed her some story of how he just couldn't sleep or something, to get her back into her bed. Hopefully, she wouldn't realize what had happened until tomorrow morning. "Rebecca, what are you doing awake?" he whispered, succeeding in keeping the panic from his tone.

Wobbling slightly, she wandered over to him as she said, "A noise woke me up." Her hand dropped from her eyes as she blinked, tilting her head to the side in the way she always did when she was trying to figure something out. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she asked, "Why do you have your pack? Are you leaving?" Her voice was nearly hysterical.

In two steps, Dan had walked up to her and gathered her into his arms, partly to comfort her but also partly to make sure that she didn't wake up their parents. He felt her grip his shirt tightly as he heard her start sobbing into his chest. "Shh…please stop crying, Rebecca," he pleaded desperately. He furtively tossed a glance over his shoulder, wondering if Wil was waiting for him. Somehow he had to get her back into bed.

"But…why?" Rebecca stuttered between her hiccups. She had pulled just enough away from him to lift her face to look at him. He was suddenly glad that it was dark so that he couldn't make out her glistening eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Dan knew he would never be able to leave her like that if he could see it. It was bad enough just imagining it.

"It's for you," Dan explained as he patted her shoulders with his hands. "For you and Mom and Dad. We're going to make lots of gold and come back and live like royalty forever," he finished enthusiastically yet still trying to keep his voice to a whisper.

"We?" Rebecca repeated confused. But then, even in the dark, he could tell that her eyes narrowed as she said flatly, "Wil. Wil's going with you."

Dan nodded. He pulled away from her grasp and pulled his pack higher up onto his shoulder. He made a move to the door but was stopped once again by Rebecca as she gripped his sleeve with her hand. "You will come back?" she asked quietly and hesitantly. There was a trembling in her voice that nearly broke his resolve again. He had to get away from her before he really decided to stay.

So, he smiled down at his sister and laid a hand on her head. "Of course," Dan said. "We'll be back before you know it." He grinned before he teased, "Then you can marry Wil cause I know you like him."

"I do not!" Rebecca protested hotly as she stamped her foot on the ground. Chuckling softly, he turned and quietly opened the front door. Suddenly, he was gripped tightly from behind and he knew without looking that it was Rebecca once again. He sighed, prepared to tell her to let him go, when he heard her whispered and choked voice say, "Goodbye, brother. Don't let Wil get you into too much trouble." Then she let him go on her own.

"Goodbye, Rebecca. Tell Mom and Dad I love them, okay?" he said as he stepped out of the doorway.

"Okay," she whispered back to him. He heard the door shut quietly behind him and he didn't look back as he made his way down the street.

Wil was waiting for him at the end of the street, his own pack slung over his shoulder with his quiver hanging around his waist and bow in hand. In the moonlight, he could see Wil's grin as his best friend said, "Ready?"

Dan threw one final look back at his home before he nodded and together they set out to make their fortunes.

* * *

_After Noble Lady of Caelin..._

He was a dead man.

It had been quite a bit of rushing from place to place, from battle to battle, and she knew that they had gathered some new members in the last few battles, but she didn't know one of them was _him_.

Rebecca didn't know when they'd picked him up, but he was a dead man because she ought to go over and wring his neck herself.

She had been entirely focused on finding Dan that she'd never really thought about what she'd do if she encountered Wil again. She fumed until she realized that Wil had left with her brother all those years ago so Dan could be here in the army _right now_. As discreetly as she could, she crept around the camp, looking for Dan. It stood to reason that—five years or not—if she recognized Wil right away, it would be even quicker with Dan. But she'd checked with Lowen and, other than some Caelin knights and, oddly enough, a monk that Rebecca actually had to triple check to make sure he was indeed a man, there were no other new recruits besides Wil. Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest, and she suddenly found herself terrified that something might have happened to Dan. Why else could Wil have separated with him?

Rebecca was terrified to go over to talk to him—afraid to learn that the truth was something she didn't want to hear. There was also plenty of anger left as well—both at the fact that he left and that he might have survived when Dan had not. That line of thinking made her so ashamed of herself; she should be happy that Wil was alive. His parents were still her next door neighbors and good friends of her parents.

At a lost, Rebecca knew she needed time. Time to sort out her feelings and what she wanted to say to him—time for the courage to ask about her brother. She determined to avoid Wil until she got just that.

* * *

_Port of Badon..._

He grabbed a pile of sand in his hand and let it trickle through his fingers. Since it was wet from the water that kept rushing up the shore in waves, swirling around his boots, it came out in clumps that fell to the ground and made unappealing splattering sounds as they hit. There was nothing smooth or soft about the cold, wet sand beneath him.

The remaining sand was stuck to his palm. He brushed it off on his pants as he rose from his crouching position and stepped back from the water. A cool sea breeze rushed across the beach from the blue mass before him, tugging at his clothes and hair as it passed by him.

The Port of Badon was the last place Wil had seen Dan.

Wil was not usually so thoughtful, which may very well have been one of the reasons they had separated in the first place. It had been such a stupid argument—he didn't even remember what it was about or what started it, however, both of those were indications of probably how exactly dumb it had been and how dumb _they_ had been to leave home in the first place.

All he really knew now was that, whatever the argument had been, it had caused him to be unable to see his best friend for the last five years or to have the courage to return home alone with none of the goals or aspirations he left with accomplished. He lived in Caelin, which relatively wasn't even _that_ far from Pherae. He was now currently serving in _Lord Eliwood's army_. It was through Lyn, of course, but it still basically counted.

A commotion on the dock caught his attention as he turned and looked to find his group fighting some pirates under Mark's direction. He began to run over to help, but he glanced back to the water once more. Maybe it was time. Maybe, when they were finished helping Lord Eliwood, he'd returned home again to see his best friend once again.


	2. Beginning

_Pirate Ship..._

It did not escape Rebecca's notice that a ship was an enclosed space.

She'd managed to avoid seeing Wil for the last two battles—she'd been part of the group protecting the entrance to Castle Caelin and then Wil hadn't been around for the battle at the Port of Badon. During the camps while they were on the move, Wil had stayed close to those who had come from Castle Caelin (though she didn't really know why), so it was easy for her to stay with the Pherae group and avoid him. But now, they were stuck on a ship together, headed for Dread Isle and there was really nowhere for her to hide. Not to mention the enemy had picked the perfect time to attack.

And she knew he was out here somewhere. She'd caught a glimpse of him when the battle started before Mark sent her with Lucius to the right side of the ship to take care of the enemy shamans, since Lucius's light magic was excellent against them and she was really great at maneuvering around their slow attacks.

Just as she dodged yet another Flux attack from the enemy shaman, she stumbled a bit as she fell back into someone else, who was standing behind her. Comforted with the knowledge that the enemy forces were not behind them, she knew that it was someone on their side. Lucius finished off the shaman before she could send an arrow back, so she took a moment to turn and said quickly, "Sorry." She planned on returning to the battle right away until she saw that it was _Wil_ she had bumped into. Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open slightly as all her plans to avoid him as much as possible quickly fell apart right then and there.

She had no idea what to say to him, and she was sure that she looked stupid, standing there with her mouth gaping open. She really had no idea where the next words that came tumbling out of her mouth came from at all. "You're taller than I remember," she blurted in a rather high voice that she immediately was not very proud of at that moment.

His mouth opened as his eyebrows furrowed together, looking like he was puzzling over what she'd said, but then his head started back slightly as something flashed in his eyes. "Hunh?" he said in bafflement, but then a wide smile drew across his face as he said excitedly, "Hey! Rebecca?" She blinked at him in surprise—Rebecca hadn't really been expecting him to recognize her. After all, she had still been mostly a little girl when the boys left, and Wil hadn't always been the brightest of boys. Not to mention that she had really been nothing more than an annoyance as his best friend's little sister. But he was nodding at her and continuing to speak, "Yeah! Rebecca!"

Then she realized he was speaking and grinning at her as if he and her brother _hadn't_ abandoned her and their families for the _past five years_. Schooling her features into indifference to mask the seething anger inside her, she immediately decided on a plan that was childish and stupid. But, dang it, she _didn't care_! He deserved it. So, she said, adding as much confusion in her tone as she could, "Um, who are you, again?" She was proud of herself now that she had recovered from the fiasco of two minutes ago.

"Wha?" Wil exclaimed, his smile only faltering for a moment. "It's me!" he said. "You know! Wil! The guy next door!"

Rebecca debated whether or not to tell him now…for about half a second. He looked kind of adoringly hopeful, but she was just so _angry_. "Well…" she said scathingly. "I know of no such person."

His lips twisted in confusion. "Really?" he asked. She didn't answer him with words as she simply raised her eyebrow at him. His shoulders drooped down in clear disappointment as his smile finally gave way to a slight frown. "Sorry," he muttered softly. "I guess I've got the wrong person…"

Rebecca was slightly taken aback by the _amount_ of sadness in his tone. "What?" she breathed quietly.

But his attention was caught by Mark—more pegasus knights had appeared and he wanted Wil to move forward to take care of them. Wil, still looking slightly dejected, gave her only a passing glance as he sighed, "Well, so long…"

She watched him walk away as she arched her eyebrow at him with a soft "Hm?" passing her lips. But then she gasped as she realized that she had just let Wil go without telling him who she was. Wil, the boy who had left together with Dan. Wil, the only person she knew who _might know where her brother was_! "Wait," she called out weakly, but it was far too late. Wil was too far away to hear her. And now Mark was instructing her to move up the other side of the ship to take care of the pegasus knights on the west side. She stomped her foot at her own stupidity and muttered, "Drat."

* * *

_Dragon's Gate..._

Dart caught the hand-axe expertly by the handle when the weapon came flying back to him after taking out another enemy. Barking out a laugh, he raised the axe into the air and exclaimed, "So! Who's next?" He turned and saw a sniper standing with his back to him. Grinning, Dart readied his hand-axe and yelled, "Come on! Attack me!"

The sniper must have heard his yelling as he turned with a sort of confused, "Huh?" But Dart had already let the hand axe fly towards the other man. However, the sniper nimbly ducked down quickly to let the axe fly harmlessly over his head.

Dart caught the axe as it came back, surprised that the sniper dodged so quickly. "Wha—!" As the sniper straightened, Dart realized that he looked sort of familiar and thought he might have seen him on the ship and in the last few battles. "Oh," he said. "You're on our side, right? You've got a sort of slack-jawed look about you," he finished as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

The sniper looked furious for a moment and even opened his mouth before snapping it shut again as his eyes widened. "Dan? Hey, you're Dan, aren't you?" he asked almost eagerly. His mouth split into a wide grin as he continued to speak without waiting for an answer, "Wow, how have you been? And hey! What are you doing here, anyway?"

And that concluded it for Dart that this guy was completely off his rocker. Not only did he mistake Dart for someone completely different, but he was expecting to run into this Dan person on the Dread Isle? At the very edge Dragon's Gate itself? Angrily, Dart said, "What's it to you!? The name's Dart, and I'm a mate in Fargus's pirate crew!" he finished, setting the other mad straight.

The sniper's eyebrows furrowed together and he asked, "You're…Dan, right?"

"Uhh, no," Dart said flatly.

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Hmm…" the sniper hummed dubiously. "Are you sure you're not Dan?"

Dart grunted angrily. "Will you knock it off?"

The sniper threw his arms into the air as he said, "Fine, just say you're not Dan…I can take a hint…" He walked off mumbling, "It was just an honest mistake, you know! Man…!"

Dart watched after him in silence for a moment before he murmured, "What was that about?! And who did he think he was messing with, anyway?" he cried out incensed. "I'd run him through as soon as look at 'im!"

* * *

_New Resolve..._

Rebecca was livid at the enemy. Not only was she tired because they were attacking so late into the night, but poor Lord Eliwood had just lost his father. It just wasn't fair. Just ahead of her, she caught a glimpse of someone in the moonlight and her heart started to pound painfully in her chest. He was a lot taller than before and had bulked up quite a bit, but just from his stance and from the profile of his face...he looked just like she had expected her brother to after these five years.

Quickly, she walked over to where he was, hoping that she really had found him at last. It seemed so unlikely that he would just be here in the middle of the night, but she couldn't help but believe that it could be true. She reached out and grasped his arm. "Brother?" she asked tentatively but also hopefully.

The man turned as he said, "Huh?" He looked over Rebecca's head for a second before he lowered his gaze to her. "Are you talking to me?" he asked.

Rebecca faltered when she saw no recognition in his eyes. She let her hand fall from his arm and began to play with one of her braids between her fingers. "Oh, uhh…" Now that she got a better look at him, she found that it really was that sailor that had joined them from the ship they had taken back on Dread Isle. She hadn't really gotten close to him before, but it still didn't change the fact that he did look a lot like an older Dan. Rebecca found it unlikely that he was her brother, but she was still tongue-tied on what to say to him.

The sailor tsked in annoyance as he turned away from her. "Ah, a case of mistaken identity? Forget it. No bother," he said dismissively. "Now get lost."

"I'm sorry," Rebecca said meekly. Still feeling the need to explain herself and not yet quite willing to give up, she added, "From behind, you look just like my brother who ran away from home."

He looked at her askance, but still he asked, "What was his name?"

"Dan," Rebecca answered quietly. "His name was Dan."

"Hmm," the man said speculatively. "Don't know him."

Rebecca nodded resigned. It might really be too much to hope that she would just run into him anywhere. "What is your name?" she asked the man, figuring she should at least be polite, considering they were in the same army.

"I'm Dart!" the man exclaimed proudly as he grinned wildly. "Mate on the Davros, vessel of the feared pirates of Fargus!"

Rebecca's eyes widened as she stumbled back a step. "P-pirates!?" she repeated somewhat frightened and horrified. Sure, she had been on the ship, but she hadn't realized that it was a _pirate_ ship.

Dart started to laugh boisterously. "Hey, now that's the reaction I like to see!" he said enthusiastically. "You don't just go walking up to any man you see and take his arm, missie!" Laughing again, he walked away.

Rebecca's shoulders slumped as she watched him. "Dart…" she said quietly.


	3. Middle

_Kingship's Bond..._

He felt someone grab his elbow and hiss, "Wil!"

He turned to find the green haired girl, staring up at him. "Oh, ah…you," he finished as he realized that he didn't actually know her name. "So, umm…what is your name?"

"Rebecca!" she said and she sounded annoyed.

"Hunh?" Wil exclaimed in surprise. "So your name IS Rebecca? What a coincidence! I used to know a…"

Rebecca cut in with an exasperated sound. "That's what I'm saying! I am that Rebecca!"

"What? But didn't you say earlier that you didn't know me?" Wil asked confused.

Now Rebecca dropped her gaze to the ground as she dug her toe into the dirt. "I did, but…" she trailed off as her gaze lifted just enough for Wil to see that she was biting her bottom lip and looking uncomfortable. Her shoulders drooped even more as she said, "Come on! How could I have the same face and the same name as her? Just believe me!" she pleaded at the end with her eyes brimmed with desperation.

Wil was still kind of confused, so he asked slowly, "So it is you, Rebecca?"

"Yes!" she cried as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, but…" Wil started to say as he rubbed the back of his head. He understood now that this was Rebecca, Dan's little sister, but he couldn't fathom why she'd pretended that she didn't recognize him. "Then why didn't you say so?! It's been so long!" he finished as he grinned at her anyway.

His grin faded slightly as she snapped at him waspishly, "Don't give me that 'been so long' stuff!" Then she proceeded to poke him in the chest as she continued, "You left saying you were going on a journey, and I never even heard from you again!"

"Oh, yeah…" Wil said as he laughed sheepishly. He'd always meant to write a letter to his family but had never quite gotten around to it. Deep down, he knew that was only part of it—a lot of the reason that he had never written was because he was just so angry at Dan for walking out on him after only a month out. And then he never felt that he could after wandering around for so long and accomplishing really nothing that he had set out to do. But that was before he had joined up with Lyn...before he had finally found a purpose. He knew he should have written after that (especially since they had even gone to Pherae to talk to Lord Eliwood), but he just kept putting it off. "I enlisted in the Caelin army…"

"In the army? You did?"

Wil was slightly taken aback by how skeptical she sounded. He was, after all, here in Lord Eliwood's army. Shrugging, he said, "Yeah, I traveled for a few years, and now I work for Lyn."

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed and darkened. "Lyn...You mean Lady Lyndis?" she asked in tone Wil recognized her using when they were younger. Usually right before she would bite him. He really hoped that she had outgrown that behavior just then.

He brushed it off, however, and said, "Yeah, right. I keep forgetting to use her full name and title." He laughed at himself. "You know, I am in her service…I really should get her title correct…"

Rebecca was silent as she fiercely stared at him with her lips pinched into a small white line. Her cheeks and forehead started to flush red. Hesitantly, he asked, "Rebecca? What's wrong? Why is your face all—"

Before he could finish, her foot suddenly lifted from the ground and slammed into his stomach. He hunched over with a groan and pressed his arm over it as Rebecca yelled, "Idiot!" Then she stomped away from him.

Slowly, Wil weezed, "You…kicked me…in the stomach…" And he hadn't even done anything to deserve it!

Well, at least she hadn't bitten him.

* * *

_Living Legend..._

"It was hot" had to be the greatest understatement of all time at the moment, Wil was sure. But most of the army, especially those on horseback, was badly hindered by the sand, so Wil had been sent out as one of the select few who fared better and could take advantage of the enemies who suffered from the same disadvantages in the sand by attacking from far away. He envied the magic users; Erk, Canas, and Lucius all practically flew across the sand as if it wasn't there at all. And the Pegasus knights who _literally_ just flew over the sand.

Wil wiped the sweat from his brow and took a swig of water from his canteen. Suddenly, he heard shouting from behind him. "I've finally found you, you cad! Today is the last day of your life! Prepare yourself!"

Whirling around and whipping out an arrow from his quiver, he expected to find an enemy, but only saw a giant (yet familiar) berserker approaching him. "Dan!" he yelled out instinctively as he lowered his bow slightly. Then he remembered their last conversation and said quickly, "I mean…not Dan…Pirate guy!" He desperately racked his brain for the right name. He knew that it was something like Dan (weird as that was) but not quite the same. "Da—Da—Dark!"

"It's Dart, you idiot!" the pirate bellowed.

"Yeah, right," Wil said easily. "So, um…what do you want with me?" he asked.

"Well, I kind of owe you one from earlier…or maybe a few…" Dart said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Then he nodded as he said, "Yeah, I owe you a few whacks with this here axe!"

Wil's eyes widened with surprise. "A few whacks, huh…I'll, uhh, pass," he finished slowly, hoping that would put the pirate off.

Dart lifted an eyebrow. "Who asked you, chum-for-brains? These people are driving me nuts!" he said swinging out his arm.

Wil ignored this as he saw something behind the pirate. "Look out! An enemy!" Quickly, he knocked the arrow in his hand onto his bow. Expertly, he pulled the string back and let the arrow fly, landing squarely in the chest of the enemy mage, who fell back into the sand. He saw another mage off in the distance and knew that he was probably the closest one to it. He turned to the other man and said, "Look, I'm kind of busy right now. Maybe next time, eh, Darth?" he asked with a grin as he started away.

He still, however, heard the pirate yell after him, "Hold on! It's Dart, you ignorant toad! Yarr! Come back here!"

* * *

_Four-Fanged Offense..._

"Umm…Dart!"

"Hm?" Dart turned at the sound of someone calling his name. He saw the green-haired girl whose name he hadn't learned yet approaching him. "What, you again?"

"My name is Rebecca," the girl said quickly. "I wanted to apologize for earlier…"

"Apologize?" Dart repeated. He couldn't think of anything this little girl would need to apologize to him for.

"For…being afraid of you…I'm sorry," she said meekly as her gaze rested on the ground.

Dart took a second to process that before he burst out laughing. Rebecca's gaze shot up as she looked at him in shock. "Don't worry about it," Dart said as he rested a hand on her head. "That is to say, it's a rare woman that don't fear pirates."

He grinned as she looked annoyed as she brushed his hand off her. She muttered, "I suppose so…but I'm still sorry."

"I said it's fine," he said firmly. Suddenly, his stomach rumbled furiously with hunger. "The beast in my belly is growling again…" he muttered.

Rebecca brightened considerably as she exclaimed, "Oh!" She reached into her pack and rustled around for a moment before she pulled out a small basket. "Here. Have this!" she said as she held it out to him.

Dart looked at it warily, as he asked, "What's in here?"

"It's a special lunch I make. Fresh fruit, roasted fowl, herbed bread, and…" She cut off as his stomach growled loudly again. Rebecca pushed the basket into his hands and said insistently, "Here you go."

"Uhh, all right then," he said as he took it from her. "So now we're even? Is that fair?"

"Sure!"


	4. End

_Battle Before Dawn..._

Never in his life did Wil think that he would be helping to break into the palace at Bern…in the middle of the night no less. It was dark and he could barely see five steps in front of himself. Matthew was helping (as he knew Legault was as well on the other side of the palace), but still there was only so much whispered instructions from the thief could do.

He saw Rebecca a few feet away from him and frowned at her. She hadn't spoken to him since before they went to desert and he was getting a little put out by the piercing glares she sent him when she knew he was looking at her. He wanted to know what he did, so that he could ask how Dan was doing and how she had gotten mixed up in all of this.

"Hey…" Wil said softly as he rested his hand on her shoulder. She gasped quietly and turned to him with wide eyes. When she saw that it was him, her gaze narrowed into that glare he had become so familiar with. "What are you so mad about? Did I do something?" Rebecca didn't answer as she abruptly shrugged his hand off her shoulder and turned her back to him. Wil sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Muttering, he said, "I don't get it…"

Whirling on him, she whispered harshly, "I don't care if you do! Why don't you go to your Lady Lyndis!?" she finished with heavy sarcasm.

He blinked at her in surprise as he had no idea what Lyn had to do with this. "You can't let it go, can you?" he asked. "That stuff from when we were little…"

"Shut up!" she said as she gave him a push. Wil stumbled back a step away from her, shocked at how choked up Rebecca sounded. Was she really, truly crying? He was about to reach out to touch her cheek, when her next words stopped him. "You don't know me! I'm no one to you!"

Wil's blood turned to ice. "What does that mean?" he asked quietly even though he thought he might know. She thought he didn't care. She really thought he didn't care about her.

"Wil, I don't care where you go, just stay away from me!" Rebecca said and there was no mistaking this time the tears in her voice. "You're just like my brother! He left and never came back!"

Surprised, he reached out and gripped hold of Rebecca's arm tightly. He pulled her closer to him as she struggled to be released from his grip. "Dan hasn't come back yet?" he asked urgently. Visions of the pirate who looked like Dan, whose name he could not remember at the moment, flashed through the forefront of his mind.

"No," Rebecca said in an entirely different tone than what she had been using up until now. It sounded confused. "Why?" she asked.

Wil dropped his grip from her arm as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well," he started. "Dan and I left together to make our fortunes, to help our families." He ignored Rebecca's snort as he continued on, "Of course, things didn't go so well." There was another snort from Rebecca. "But when we parted at Badon, that was only a few months after leaving the village!"

"Really?" Wil swallowed heavily at the heartbroken tone in her voice. "Then my brother…" she trailed off, but Wil could not miss her faltering at the end. She burrowed her face in her hands—it was only by the shaking of her shoulders that Wil knew she was crying.

He could not resist pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Rebecca," he whispered to her gently. "I thought Dan had returned to Pherae long ago." She did not answer him with words, but her hands fell from her face as she returned his embrace, burrowing her face in his chest. "Rebecca…" he said as one of his hands played with one of her braids. "I'm sorry I left," he said, unsure really how he should convey his feelings at the moment. "It must have been…hard."

"Wil!...Wil!"

He released his embrace so that he could cup her cheeks in his hands. Even dark as it was, he could see her tears shining in her eyes and feel the wetness of them on her cheeks below his hands. "I won't leave you again," he vowed. "I'll always stay near…and protect you."

* * *

_Cog of Destiny..._

Dart was part of the small contingent of troops Mark had seen fit to leave at the flank of the army to ensure that no one would sneak up on them as they laid siege on the Shrine of Seals. The rest of the troops had moved forward through the passes and valleys between the mountains. Dart understood the precaution, but he had been really bored the first part of the battle. But then a group of wyvern riders had flown in on them.

Farina had flown off to get some reinforcements when it seemed like the wave was never ending, but now the attack was waning. Dart was sure that they would be fine without more warriors, but he wouldn't mind getting a healer. He managed to avoid getting hit for the most part, but one lucky shot did get through. It wasn't bad—he would live—but it was just enough that it was starting to slow him down.

A shadow flew overhead and he saw two Pegasus knights landing close by, both with two passengers on them. The one closest to him had Farina's younger sister on it—the girl that squeaked every time he walked by (the reaction he thought all pirates should get from everyone). Behind her, the long blond hair and white robes gave away the identity of the bishop, Lucius—the one that looked like a girl. Lucius slid off the pegasus to the ground, and then the pegasus knight was off again, taking to the skies to help fight the few remaining wyvern riders left. Farina was not far behind her sister as her passenger had dismounted as well.

And it was that crazy, annoying archer Wil!

While an archer was the obvious choice for fighting wyvern riders as nothing could quite bring them falling from the skies quicker than a fury of arrows, he'd been hoping they would have sent Rebecca. He liked the young girl and she'd brought him food the last time they talked. He'd even take that duchess—countess—noble something lady over this guy.

But before he could make his way over to him, Lucius was there in front of him, holding a heal staff. Softly, he instructed, "Hold still for a moment while I take care of this."

Dart scowled at him but did as he was told. Lucius held the staff over his wound as a soft bluish-white glow emitted from the crystal on the top. In seconds, the pain simply melted away as the wound closed. "Thanks," Dart said before running after the sniper. As he approached the other man, who had just felled a rider with a volley of arrows, he called out, "Now I've found you, you stinking bow-plucker!"

Wil turned around, brows furrowed together, but then his gaze quickly looked beyond Dart as his eyes widened. "Whoa!" he called out. "Look! Behind you!"

"What!?" Dart exclaimed as he whipped around. But Wil was quicker as he ran passed Dart and launched a couple of arrows at the rider that had been behind him. The arrows lodged directly in the throat and chest of the wyvern and brought it and its rider to the ground. Wil turned back to Dart and looked concerned as he asked, "Are you OK?"

Dart was about to fire back that it would take more than one wyvern to bring him down, but then he saw that the rider of the wyvern Wil had just taken down was now standing up with a javelin in his hand. "You idiot!" he yelled as the rider threw the javelin. "On your right!"

He pushed Wil out of the way as he knocked the javelin easily aside with his axe. Wil fell back on the ground with a startled, "Whoa!" With a roar, Dart launched himself at the rider and killed him quickly. When he got back, Wil was pulling himself off the ground. As he brushed himself off, Wil breathed out a sigh of relief as he said, "That was close! Thanks. You're Dart, right?" And Dart couldn't actually believe it, but the idiot was actually grinning widely at him.

Dart snorted derisively and said, "I wasn't trying to help you, squid-bait! Just forget about it," he finished in a low tone. He rubbed the back of his neck as he realized, "But wait…you did save me first…" Conflicted, he growled in his chest discontentedly. "So think of it as payback!" he finally said.

"Hmm," Wil hummed thoughtfully. His expression had left the wide grin behind for the narrowed eyes and pinched lips of speculation.

Dart felt his eyebrows lift up on his forehead as he asked defensively, "What!?" He did not like the searching gaze Wil was pinning him with at the moment.

Slowly, Wil said, "You know, Dart, you really do look like Dan." He heaved a sigh as his arms folded across his chest. "It's just so hard to imagine you're not him," he finished in the quietest voice Dart had ever heard Wil use.

Still, Dart was started to get annoyed at what seemed to be the constant mention of this Dan guy—first Rebecca, then Wil, and now once again it was brought up. "Not that again!" he exclaimed. "Who is this guy!? Who is Dan!?" he asked as he threw his arms into the air.

"Dan was my childhood fr…" Wil started to say but bit his bottom lip as he trailed off. It wasn't long before he started again. "He was my _best_ friend," he said, putting heavy emphasis on the word he changed. "We left home together five years ago, but it didn't go too well." His gaze darkened in regret. He sighed again before he said, "Last time I saw him was back in Badon…"

"Five years ago? In Badon, you say…"

"That's right," Wil said, looking at him with furrowed brows.

Dart shook his head. "Naw…couldn't be…" he muttered. Badon was a port town—he bet a bunch of kids got lost there every day. And judging from how old Wil looked now, he and his friend were probably pretty young when they left home…about the same age he'd been when Fargus picked him up.

Suddenly intense with no sign of the smiling idiot about him, Wil stepped forward and said urgently, "What? Do you know something?"

Dart rubbed his neck again uncomfortably again. "Well, about five years ago, Fargus pulled into port at Badon, and a young man had collapsed on the pier. He was bleeding pretty badly…they say it was a miracle he lived at all."

"What!" Wil suddenly exclaimed.

"Everyone in town just pretended not to notice," he continued and Wil's jaw literally dropped at that. "And no wonder…that day was a holy day for Elimine's flock. They were forbidden any contact with blood…and the sailors…" He shuffled hesitantly. "Well, you know how superstitious they are. That man lay there, half alive, for six hours…." His expression turned wry. Man…he'd been really little more than a boy.

"That's terrible…" Wil said, his eyes wide with horror.

Dart shrugged dispassionately. "Then the taboo lifted, and someone picked him up, just in time," he continued once again. "It was the leader of the pirates that work out of Badon. Well, that young man recovered, but as if in exchange for his life, he had lost all of his memories…" his finished quietly.

Wil's expression returned to its early eagerness and suddenly Dart regretted mentioning anything at all. "Dart, you don't think…" he trailed off, his eyes dancing with excitement.

"I don't know, I don't know," Dart said quickly as he shook his head. "It's just a story I've heard around."

"What happened to him after that?" Wil asked.

"He's still…around," Dart said evasively. He was still not convinced that Dan and that young man were one and the same person. It seemed a little cruel to get this guy's hopes up—hopes that he would no doubt take back to Rebecca. And he didn't want anything to hurt that poor girl.

"You mean on the ship? He remained a part of the pirates?"

Dart bristled at the incredulous tone in his voice. "Course," he barked. "Fargus saved my life!"

Both men froze at Dart's slip of the tongue. "It…was you?" Wil asked hesitantly. "But that means…"

"It don't mean nothin'," Dart cut in. "Look, bad things happen in Badon all the time."

"But—" Wil tried to cut it.

"I don't want you sayin' nothin' to Rebecca," Dart said. "Nice girl like her don't deserve to lose her brother twice." With that, he began to walk away, determined to avoid both Rebecca and that annoying idiot that might have once been his best friend for the rest of the time until he returned to his ship.

"Dan!" Wil called after him. "I mean, Dart!"

But Dart (who may have been Dan) did not turn back.

* * *

_Before Sands of Time..._

Castle Ostia was huge—bigger than either Caelin or Pherae. And Wil would bet probably bigger than any other castle in Lycia. He supposed it made sense; the marquess Ostia was the leader of the Lycian League. It had nothing on the Bern Palace—Wil doubted anything in the world did—but it was awe-inspiring. In light of this, Wil took this downtime they had to explore the castle as much as he could. He wasn't sure he'd be back again since he was going to be returning to either Caelin or Pherae once this was over.

The sniper was turning a corner, when his well trained ears picked up soft sobs. It sounded like a girl was crying, and as he turned further, he saw Rebecca crouched against the wall, her hands over her face. Her petite body was shaking—he'd seen this many times when they were younger, when she was upset. Those times, however, Dan had always been the one to go to her.

But he couldn't just leave the girl now; the girl who had once been like a sister to him (a little annoying one but adorable nonetheless); the girl he was quickly coming to see as more than a friend...as the woman he loved. She didn't look up at him until he was crouching in front of her and resting his hand on her shoulder. A small gasp escaped Rebecca's lips as her head snapped up. Her red-rimmed eyes were wide and full of fright for just a few moments before they softened minutely. She surprised Wil then by practically throwing herself at him as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, nearly knocking him over.

"Rebecca, what's wrong?" he asked desperately. Sometimes it was easy to forget amidst this war that Rebecca was still a rather young girl (not that he was much older). She'd become such an accomplished sniper—she was faster and more accurate than him even if she couldn't put as much power behind her shots. Rebecca started speaking, but it was all unintelligible mumblings in his shirt. "Rebecca, I can't understand a word you're saying," Wil said, fighting the urge to laugh.

"It's just so sad!" Rebecca burst out as she turned her head to the side. It was the tip of his tongue to ask what she was talking about, but he didn't have the chance; with that one sentence, the floodgates were opened and words poured continuously from the girl in his arms. "Lord Eliwood and Ninian! He loved her so much—he told her so in that battle before Nergal took her. You know, at the Shrine of Seals? I didn't _mean_ to eavesdrop, but I was just close enough to hear. And it was _so_ sweet. Then she was taken and then...and then..." Her words became evermore jumbled as sobs began to intersperse between them. "He killed her! I know he didn't mean to, but he loved her so much and it's just all so sad!" The words stopped then as a new wave of tears caused her to be unable to speak and to bury her face in his chest again.

Wil was taken aback by this. He'd been sad when Ninian died—the whole group had been down since then—but he realized he hadn't know the full extent of the situation. And he wondered how'd he feel if Rebecca died in this war. She was so fast that she could dodge almost anything, but what if something got through or she came against an enemy too strong for her? And if that happened, wouldn't he want her to know how he felt?

He put his arms under hers and pulled Rebecca to her feet. "What...hic...are you...hic...doing?" she asked between her cries. Wil didn't answer her question with words but allowed his actions to speak for him as he gently leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a brief kiss. As he pulled back only minutely, he heard Rebecca's voice, breathless and scandalized, say, "Wil!"

"I love you," he cut in cheekily with a grin on his lips. He swallowed her following gasp with his grinning lips as he kissed her again, this time cupping her face in his hands as he pulled her closer.

However, this moment (in which Rebecca was completely and totally kissing him back) was soon interrupted as a call to arms rang throughout the castle. Rebecca pulled away just far enough to say, "We have to go. The castle is under attack."

Wil kissed her briefly before making his reply. "We're inside. How useful could archers actually be?"

Two small hands were against his chest nearly instantly as Rebecca pushed him away with all her strength. Wil stumbled back a few steps, caught completely off guard. "Wil! How could you even—urgh!" Rebecca threw her arms into the air, her face red and her chest heaving with air (though Wil rather smugly thought maybe some of that might have come from kissing him).

She glared at him for a few more seconds before she turned on her heel and began to walk away. "What?" Wil asked as he trotted after her.

"You know very well what," Rebecca snapped at him.

"Ah, come on," Wil said good-naturedly. "You know I was only joking."

"I don't think this is exactly the best times for jokes," Rebecca said as her voice softened and a melancholy note entered into it.

"I just wanted to let you know how I felt in case..."

This stopped Rebecca. "You said you love me."

"Cause I do."

She turned to face him with a smile on her face-there was still some sadness in her eyes but looked genuinely happy at the same time. "I love you, too, Wil," she whispered.

* * *

_Victory or Death..._

"Ho, Rebecca!"

Rebecca smiled as she turned toward the familiar voice. "Ah! Dart!"

Dart rubbed the back of his head before he thrust out his hand to her with a curt, "Here."

Rebecca glanced down at his hand. She pressed her hands together excitedly when she saw what was in it. "Ooooh! What a pretty shell!" she exclaimed. She looked up at him and almost giggled at how embarrassed he looked. "Is it for me?" she asked.

"Yeah," Dart muttered. "Thanks for the food earlier."

Rebecca took the shell gingerly from his hand and held it reverently in her own. But then a thought occurred to her and she looked up at him confused. "Well," she said. "It's awfully nice of you, but didn't you say we were even back there?"

If anything, Dart looked even more embarrassed as he said, "Uhh…I didn't think you'd remember that part."

Rebecca did let out a small giggle then. "Don't look so frumpy!" she said jovially. Spontaneously, she threw her arms around him and said, "Thank you! I will treasure it!"

Dart looked more than just slightly uncomfortable as she pulled away. He rubbed the back of his head again as he muttered, "Er, yeah." And suddenly, Rebecca had a flashback to her brother Dan doing the exact same thing every time he was nervous or upset. Her smile faded away slowly as she stared up at the young man before her. Dart looked concerned as he asked, "What's the matter?"

Rebecca dropped her gaze to the ground as she said quietly, "I know I shouldn't keep saying this, but…Dart…You just look so much like my brother…"

"Is that so?" Dart responded almost as equally quiet. Rebecca's head shop up in surprise, since it was such a different reaction from before. But Dart wasn't looking at her—his gaze was on something past her. She followed his gaze and glanced over her shoulder to see who or what he was looking at, if anything. Her eyebrows shot up as she saw Wil, who was also taking a chance to talk to Rath during this brief lull of the battle. Now there was a friendship that she did not understand at all. Rebecca turned back to Dart as she heard him take a deep breath and say, "Well, who knows. Maybe I am."

"What!?"

Dart's lips raised into half a smile for a moment. "I don't have any memories of my life more 'n five years back…Fargus found me, bloody and limp on a pier, and I didn't know who I was…I'm thinkin' I must have leaked more 'n just blood out of my ears, you know? Now I don't remember nothin'!" His tone was light-hearted, but Rebecca could hear the underlying sadness in his voice.

But her mouth gaped open as she realized what she heard Dart say. "My brother left home…exactly…five years…ago…" she said slowly with her eyes wide.

"It's just strange luck, that. Unless…there's more to it."

Rebecca bit her bottom lip in thought, trying to think of something that could prove one way or the other whether or not Dart actually was Dan. The fact that they looked similar was barely anything concrete—Dan and Wil had been young when they left and it could be coincidence. But then, her eyes found one of the scars on his arms and she thought of something. "Well, he did have a scar on his right side, on his abdomen…from when he was gored by a stag in the forests of Pherae!" she said. It had been a terrible day for their family—not knowing whether or not Dan was going to make it—and had happened just a year before they left. She would never forget the sight of that long thick line. "Do you have a scar like that?" she asked tentatively.

Dart frowned and began to pull at his shirt. "Abdomen…that's over here, eh? And me right…that's starboard, innit?" With his shirt raised, it was easy to see the various scars that line his chest and stomach, but right where Rebecca knew the singular scar was supposed to be was a long white line. It looked older than the other scars he had and was fainter and more stretched out than she remembered. But it could not be coincidence that the long white line was in the exact same spot as her brother Dan's.

Gasping, she put her hands over her mouth. She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes as she just barely managed to not reach out and trace the line with her finger. "Amazing," she breathed. "You really are…" She couldn't continue as her throat tightened with emotion.

But Dart was staring and touching the scar as if he had never seen it before. He gave a sheepish and incredulous chuckle as he said, "Hey, is this for real?"

As her tears began to truly fall, she reached out a hand and laid it on his arm. "Ah…" she said, still breathless and unable to speak.

Hastily and looking completely uncomfortable, Dart shoved his shirt back down and crossed his arms in front of his chest, causing Rebecca's arm to drop back down. "Look, it's nothin' personal-like. I just want to be sure. I mean, I'd be glad to think you were my sister, but…I'd hate to find out I was wrong later, you know?"

Rebecca nodded, unable to stop her tears. She hiccuped and said, "Dart…"

Rubbing the back of his head—just like Dan—he said, "Aww, blow me down." He rested a hand on Rebecca's shoulder as he said, "Just call me Brother…either way, I'll go back to me ship when this battle ends…so why don't we both just play along for a little while." He gave her a grin. "Right?"

Rebecca wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Uh, um…sure," she mumbled, trying to mask her disappointment. "I guess…that would be…" She trailed off for a moment as she looked at him and realized that her brother was never coming home. He would never remember their family or Wil or her. But…maybe he didn't have to. He was here now and he was _alive_. And he would still be her brother no matter what. She smiled and exclaimed, "Yeah! Big brother Dart!" Then she threw her arms around him again. This time, he tentatively hugged her back.

"Not…Dan?" he asked.

She leaned back in his arms and shook her head. "No, I'll just call you 'Brother Dart'. You might not be Dan anymore, but you're definitely my brother! I'm sure of it…"

He gave her a real smile. "Rebecca…"

"Hey, guys, what's going on?"

Rebecca stepped out of Dart's arms as she heard Wil's voice. She turned with a smile to him. Excited, she rushed over to him and linked her arm around his elbow, pulling him closer. "Wil, it's Dan!"

"What?"

"Well, he's still Dart, but he was most certainly Dan."

A strange look blossomed into Wil's eyes. He looked at Dart and asked, "So it was true?"

"Seems like it," Dart said with a shrug.

Rebecca glanced back and forth between them. "Wait…what?"

Wil looked at her. "Well…Dart and I talked back at the Shrine of Seals and…I thought that he could be…Dan."

Rebecca punched him in the arm. Hard.

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?"

"Because you're an idiot! You didn't tell me?" she demanded.

"I had no way to prove it and I didn't want to get your hopes up."

Suddenly, Dart barked with laughter. "What?" Rebecca and Wil asked at the same time.

"You two courtin', right?"

Rebecca's face flamed red. "Yep," Wil supplied cheerily.

Dart wrapped his arm around Wil's shoulder. "You're a bit of an idiot, but hey, Rebecca can deal with that. But, you hurt her and maybe I'll decide you still need a few whacks with this here axe."

"But I'm your best friend!"

"My sister."

"Point taken."

Just then, Fiora and Farina landed down on their pegasus. "Wil, Rebecca," Fiora said. "Mark requires you at the fort before Dragon's Gate. He hopes a couple of longbow shots will be able to help take down Limstella without too much damage to us."

"So hop on and we'll give you a lift there," Farina added.

"Brother Dart," Rebecca said wistfully.

"Go on," Dart said. "I'll come along quick as I can. We'll talk when the battle's over."

Rebecca nodded and climbed up behind Farina on her Pegasus as Wil did the same with Fiora. She watched Dart until he was out of sight and then turned her gaze to the looming vision of Dragon's Gate, determined more than ever to end this battle as soon as possible.


	5. After

_After Light..._

Fargus's ship docked into port. Most of those in Lord Eliwood's army started to disembark, but three young friends from Pherae stood at the railing of the ship, just watching the proceedings. Rebecca leaned further into Wil; his arm was around her waist and she couldn't protest that. A smile blossomed on her face as she watched Lord Eliwood lead Ninian gently down the gangplank. Her arm was tucked around his own, and it was clear to see the love and adoration in Eliwood's eyes when he looked at her. When Bramimond had revived the girl, Rebecca had nearly cried tears of happiness for her lord.

There was shifting movement out of the corner of her eye that caught her attention. She looked to find her brother folding his arms across his wide chest. Rebecca tucked her bottom lip beneath her teeth as she wondered whether or not to bring the subject up again. Her eyes shifted in thought until she heard a low chuckle coming from Dart. "Spit it out, sis," he said, still laughing.

"Are you sure you don't want to come home with us, Dart?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah," Wil suddenly put in. When she felt him move beside her, she glanced his way to find him rubbing the back of his neck and looking rather sheepish. "Even as a pirate, you're still not as bound to get into as much trouble as I am. I mean, at least _you_ have the memory loss excuse."

Dart burst into laughter, but, annoyed, Rebecca shoved her elbow into his side, causing him to heave an "oomph" of air and to mutter, "Geez, Rebecca, did you have to do that so hard?" But she ignored him in favor of looking pleadingly up to her brother.

His laughter had ceased and now he was frowning. "It's not my place no more, Rebecca," he admitted. "Gotta stay here with Fargus. He saved me life."

Rebecca nodded, not really wanting to accept his decision, but she didn't feel as if she could force him to come home with her. "Well, you know you'll always have a place with us if you ever decide to visit," she assured him.

"We'll have a nice spot on the floor prepared for you, buddy," Wil teased. Rebecca was even more fumed at him when he side-stepped her attempt to stomp angrily on his foot.

But Dart just roared with laughter. "You got it, Wil," he said. Then he laid a hand on Rebecca's shoulder and said, "Maybe someday."

Rebecca hugged her brother tightly, and said good-bye before dragging Wil off the ship with her. In the bustle of the port, she turned to meet him full-on before demanding, "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What are you going to do now?"

Wil looked perplexed by this. "I thought I was going home with you. You know, get married, have kids, grow old together and everything."

Even as part of her felt a rush of excitement to hear him say that, she was still rather put out that he had said it that way, especially since he hadn't even _asked_ her to marry yet. "Don't you have to talk to Lady Lyndis? You are technically in her employ."

"Oh, that? I already did," Wil said. "Eliwood-"

"Lord Eliwood."

Wil rolled his eyes. "_Lord_ Eliwood offered to take us both on as part of his archery division. Lyn-"

"_Lady Lyndis_!"

"-was fine with it. She actually seemed kind of happy about. Something about having my head on straight now."

Rebecca hid a smile behind her hand. Boy, she loved him, but Wil could still be an idiot sometimes.


End file.
